10 Essential Superhero Anime That Reinvent The Genre
4. Samurai Flamenco
A love letter to the sentai genre of anime superhero that kind of goes off the rails halfway through the series, Samura Flamenco's hilarious yet heartfelt story is somewhat reminiscent of the grittier, Mark Millar-penned Kick-Ass, in which a normal man with no powers tries his best to be a superhero.
Male model Masayoshi Hazama, inspired by his grandfather's stories, as well as his love of Tokusatsu - Japanese special effects shows similar to Ultra Q and Gojira/Godzilla - goes out in the Samurai Flamenco suit created by his grandfather, fighting crime with varying degrees of success.
Hidenori Goto, a police officer who figures out his identity, becomes his close ally, as Masayoshi becomes more adept at fighting and eventually inspires other vigilantes to take to the streets as well, including a girl group that suits up to fight crime as a team.
Though the main draw of the show's first half was its powerless protagonist's quest to help others regardless of his limitations, the show does become more fantastical over time. It still brought something unique to the table on first airing, however, and its heart and self-aware enjoyment of the genre is still present throughout the series.